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Jefferson Quick, Timely Reads Jefferson Quick, Timely Reads Mystics for Skeptics On Trump, Mysticism, and the Power of Positive Thinking By: Reverend Charles Brock June 2020 Donald Trump doesn’t seem to be very religious in any conventional sense. Many will think that “mystic” doesn’t apply to him at all. But he does represent more than himself. He has a huge following out there, especially the evangelical wing of both Protestant and Catholic churches. Why is this? Clearly because Trump represents their views on many subjects, and they are willing to give him a pass on his sexual sins, which shows how important they think his views are parallel to their own – especially on immigration, Israel, a deep state that thwarts good people, abortion, school prayer, “rugged individualism” vs. “socialism,” and white supremacy. Many believe Trump was chosen by God. Trump is a self-proclaimed Presbyterian, which is probably the least mystical in the “presence” mysticism of all the denominations. But they are strong on the will of God. And evangelical Presbyterians bring out identification with Christ and biblical stories in their sermons as a key aspect of the faith. Trump also represents a group of more liberal Christians, not primarily evangelicals, who believe in a self-help gospel known as “the power of positive thinking,” and I want to look at that and compare Rev. Norman Vincent Peale, former minister of Trump’s Marble Collegiate Church, with Reinhold Niebuhr, the leading New York City liberal theologian during the Peale era. Neither were mystics, but they were the major players for the soul of America in their time. Peale’s The Power of Positive Thinking: A Practical Guide to Mastering the Problems of Everyday Living is a 1952 self-help book. It provides anecdotal case histories of positive thinking, and practical instructions that were designed to help the reader achieve a permanent and optimistic attitude. These techniques usually involved affirmations and visualizations. Peale claimed that such techniques would give the reader a higher satisfaction and quality of life. The Power of Positive Thinking was negatively reviewed by scholars and health experts, but was popular and has sold well. Peale states 10 rules for “overcoming inadequacy attitudes and learning to practice faith.” The rules include the following with religious points in italics: 1. Picture yourself as succeeding. 2. Think a positive thought to drown out a negative thought. 3. Minimize obstacles. 4. Do not attempt to copy others. 5. Repeat “If God be for us, who can be against us?” 10 times every day. 6. Work with a counselor. 7. Repeat “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” 10 times every day. 8. Develop a strong self-respect. 9. Affirm that you are in God's hands. 10. Believe that you receive power from God. Trump called Peale “his pastor” and “one of the greatest speakers” he had ever heard. Fred and Mary Trump, President Trump's parents, traveled to the Marble Collegiate Church in Manhattan with their children to hear Peale's sermons. Trump grew up hearing Peale's teachings from his parents, and Peale officiated his first wedding. Trump credits his survival in 1990 after bankruptcy to Peale's positive thinking teachings. Trump follows Peale’s views and claims they will help America. This helps explain some of his views on the coronavirus and getting America back to work again. Believe it to be true that the virus is on the wane, and help others believe it too. It is not just a gimmick to gain re-election, but he really believes it because it is optimistic and religious to do so. That is Peale all the way. There are many criticisms. M. Scott Peck, M.D., defines sound mental health as “a dedication to reality at all costs.” This includes tolerance for delayed gratification, the pain of problem-solving, and the willingness and ability to take responsibility for mistakes. Peale sounds more like a commencement speaker than a theologian. Episcopal theologian John M. Krumm criticized Peale's teachings for their basis in religion. Very little is said about the sovereign mind and purpose of God; much is made of the things men can say to themselves and can do to bring about their ambitions and purposes. Krumm argues that "the predominant use of impersonal symbols for God is a serious and dangerous invitation to regard man as the center of reality and the Divine Reality as an impersonal power, the use and purpose of which is determined by the man who takes hold of it and employs it as he thinks best.”[1] Edmund Fuller, book review editor of the Episcopal Churchnews, warned against following Peale's teachings in an article titled “Pitchmen in the Pulpit” from March 1957. He writes that Peale's books have no connection to Christianity and that they “influence, mislead and often disillusion sick, maladjusted, unhappy or ill-constructed people, obscuring for them the Christian realities. They offer easy comforts, easy solutions to problems and mysteries that sometimes, perhaps, have no comforts or solutions at all, in glib, worldly terms. They offer a cheap 'happiness' in lieu of the joy Christianity can offer.”[2] Reinhold Niebuhr accused Peale of “trying to make a success story out of Christianity” by seeking a largely white, middle-class audience. And many psychologists wrote off his book as simplistic Pollyanna poppycock.[3] During the Covid-19 crisis of 2020, most churches were closed for in-person worship by governors’ orders. Trump said America needs more prayer especially now. He ordered that houses of worship be allowed to reopen and claimed he will overrule any governor who refuses. He said: “Some governors have deemed liquor stores and abortion clinics as essential, but have left out churches and other houses of worship. It's not right. So I'm correcting this injustice. In America, we need more prayer, not less.”[4] “Although Trump called for worshipers to return to church in person on the holiday weekend [Memorial Day 2020], the president did not. He played golf on Sunday morning.”[5] Trump is a Presbyterian born and bred. His grandfather was a German Lutheran. The small town of Kallstadt has only one religious building, the Central Lutheran church but the area is overwhelmingly Calvinist. Donald’s father, Frederick Christ Trump, was born in the Bronx, and his mother was born in the Outer Hebrides in Scotland, a land famed for its strict Presbyterianism. They were both members of the Reformed Church of America. A few words about Calvinism, probably the most influential Protestant theology in America (though not the biggest – Baptist and Methodist outgun the Presbyterians, and the Roman Catholic Church is by far the largest). “While Lutheranism was largely confined to parts of Germany and to Scandinavia, Calvinism spread into England, Scotland, France, the Netherlands, the English- speaking colonies of North America, and parts of Germany and central Europe … Geneva became the center of an international movement and a model for churches elsewhere. John Knox, the Calvinist leader of Scotland, described Geneva as “the most perfect school of Christ that ever was on the Earth since the days of the Apostles.” Calvinism was immediately popular and was appealing across geographic and social boundaries. In France it was attractive primarily to the nobility and the urban upper classes, in Germany it found adherents among both burghers and princes, and in England and the Netherlands it made converts in every social group. In the Anglo- Saxon world, Calvinist ideas found embodiment in English Puritanism, whose ethos proved vastly influential in North America beginning in the 17th century.”[6] There are some famous views associated with Calvinism, especially from Max Weber about the relation to the spirit of Capitalism. Roughly his argument is that Calvinism expressed support for hard work, frugality, discipline, avoidance of life’s pleasures, and willingness to defer satisfactions as a formula for wealth individually and nationally. Earning money is a gift from God and is a religious duty to do so. Calvin was not a keen supporter of the poor such as his German counterpart Thomas Munzer, the leader of the Peasants Revolt. The rich very much liked Calvinism. “Calvinism entailed that people were predestined to be either among the saved or among the damned. There was nothing that the individual or the religion could do to affect that fate. Yet the idea of predestination left people uncertain about whether they were among the saved. To reduce this uncertainty, the Calvinists developed the idea that signs could be used as indicators of whether a person was saved. People were urged to work hard, because if they were diligent, they would uncover the signs of salvation, which were to be found in economic success. In sum, the Calvinist was urged to engage in intense, worldly activity and to become a ‘man of vocation.’”[7] Trump often says he loves hard work. At his White House news briefing on the coronavirus on March 19, President Trump offered high praise for the commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, Stephen Hahn. “He’s worked, like, probably as hard or harder than anybody,” Mr. Trump said. Then he corrected himself: “Other than maybe Mike Pence — or me.” There are other parallels. “Calvin believed that humans are subject to two kinds of government. There is the “the kingdom of Christ,” which “is situated in the soul … and relates to eternal life,” and there is the “civil government,” which relates to “civil justice and the regulation of external conduct.” Calvin was clear that, although these two governments are not at variance with one another, they are nevertheless things very different and remote from each other.
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